1. A key convention to making a title sequence work is to relate the titles to the film. The titles in the opening to Juno are quite childlike and similar to the comic book theme; still making links between the main character Juno and the film. The titles themselves are of a large size and are made to look three dimensional. The titles also link into the season that is first introduced in the opening sequence as they seem to be moving in the wind, like the leaves after they fell off a tree. In one part it appears that a title is placed on a fence, this connotes something about the character Juno that much like the title she is stuck between making a decision linking back to the saying “sitting on the fence”. Because the titles are so childlike and arty, it yet again enforces how Juno still has her inner child but is becoming more aware of it as the possibility of her bringing a child into the world becomes more like reality than a daydream. The titles reveal more of a framework of comprehension because the titles aren’t represented in a serious way, so it creates the premise that this film is going to be laid back and perhaps a bit comical.
The costume that the character Juno wears in the opening credits appears to be quite unisex. Because she is wearing jeans, heavy trainers and a chequered shirt it makes the character of Juno seem like quite a tomboy. The clothes are all quite baggy and unflattering, and in some ways perhaps a bit different to that of a typical 16 year old girl. This could connote that Juno isn’t a shallow and vain person as she doesn’t feel the need to show off every inch of skin on her body which seems like she doesn’t want to be in the centre of attention for her appearance. Later on into the opening sequence you see her drinking from a ‘Sunny D’ bottle and also see her pick up some junk food from the shop, which makes Juno seem quite bland as she follows a typical and unhealthy teenage diet.1. The non-diegetic music that starts to play whilst the character ‘Juno’ begins walking, completely replaces any other noise that could be playing during the introduction, this itself could connote that she is in her ‘own world’ which could perhaps bring into question as to why she doesn’t want to live in reality. Barry Louis Polisar, who recorded the song featured in the opening credits, said that the song itself was supposed to relate to ‘Nursery rhymes’ and Children’s music, which again links back to the character of Juno who still feels like a child herself but maybe thinks that it is time to grow up. The lyrics ‘If I were a flower growing wild and free, All I'd want is you to be my sweet honeybee’ suggests that the film is about Juno growing out of the ‘immature’ and ‘naive’ image that is held against her, yet still wants to be able to feel secure with somebody, connoting that she also wants a romance.
Within the first few seconds of the opening, Juno is filmed in ‘real’ time where all the houses and other parts of the mise-en-scene are what is seen in reality. However, as soon as Juno starts walking animations of her neighbourhood replaces the ‘reality’ effect which could portray Juno as a daydreamer and doesn’t want to be in her real life. This could show that the life Juno lives isn’t appealing to her and she’d much rather be elsewhere. Because it is animated, it also gives the effect that they are in a ‘comic’ book, which could show that at heart, Juno still feels like a young child and similar to how they like to doodle when daydreaming. A group of runners pass Juno, and unlike the main character, they are still being filmed in ‘real time’ although they are a blur to Juno, this tells us that Juno herself could be contemplating a big decision because she is only focused on her own actions and no others. The ‘Sunny D’ juice drink also turns into an animation, connotes that everything in Juno’s life is a bit of fun. Because she is half animated and half ‘normal’ it shows that Juno feels like she is stuck between two places and isn’t sure which way to go – to stay like a child or to grow up.1. However, mise-en-scene used in the introduction to ‘Juno’ plays the most significant part in portraying the main character. It helps to create the mood that is set in the film, but from Juno’s point of view. In the first few seconds into Juno you see her standing in the front garden surrounded in the stereotypical ‘American’ suburban neighbourhood. During the opening sequence you follow Juno as she walks through her neighbourhood, revealing many more buildings and shops indicating that she lives in a quiet neighbourhood, such as the ‘drug store’ and the local shop. All the houses surrounding hers are extremely similar with the white panelling and mail boxes out in the front garden. This connotes that the character of Juno herself is still a child growing up in her house. But because she is outside and on the front garden, it appears to be as if the house is representing her inner child and she is taking a look at herself and seeing how she needs to grow up. There is slight use of exposition as before she begins to walk down the path you see leaves falling off a tree which informs us that the time of year is around November. This plays a vital part to the film because it allows us to see how we are about to embark on a long journey with Juno and perhaps see how she is about to grow up. This tells us that the main story for Juno is following her on a journey she is going to take.
No comments:
Post a Comment